The All-Time-Favorite, You-Simply-Must-Read-This Rec List

[silentdescant]

I've limited myself to long/series fics, because if I included one-shots, I would be making up categories for absolutely everything. Down to "best use of the word 'desperate' in a sexual situation" and stuff like that. So these are just the really long, epic ones that if you haven't read them yet, you really really should. And now, in no particular order...


Best AU
The Incline of Trees, by kiltsandlollies and almaviva (formerly called lotruniversity)
Billy as a Philosophy Professor with Dominic as a very troubled student. Amazing, amazing universe they've created. Beautiful. There's also a fantastic D/s element to it that almost puts it into the Best BDSM category. They're reposting it all now, completed, in chronological order.


Best Historical AU
Dílse, by strawberryelfsp
Set in Ireland in the 1920s, with Billy and Dom on opposite sides of a war. This one steadily builds in intensity and sexual tension until it all comes to a fantastic climax, heavy on the angst and the passion. You won't be able to stop reading.


Best BDSM
C-verse, by shaenie
Every time I try to describe this, I sort of lose my mind. So, basically, it consistently makes you devolve into a puddle of goo. Billy and Dom, of course, with Elijah added in for the later parts. Even if you don't normally read BDSM, you should read this. It's just that good. Hell, even if you don't normally read slash, or RPS, or Elijah, or Billy/Dom, or whatever, you should read this. It really is that good. Shaenie uses the characters to tell the story in a way that I haven't seen anyone else pull off. And their thought processes and personalities really dictate what happens, not just the way the story's told. It's breathtaking.
In order: Cusp, Contentment, Catalyst, Momento, Convergence, Ghost, Confrontation, Calibration, Conversation, Contemplation, Curiosity & Consecution (posted together).


Best Action
The Archer (now offline) and The Flag (WIP), by legomyarrow
Sean (Bean), Viggo, Orlando, Karl, Eric (Bana), David (Wenham), and of course Dominic, in every combination imaginable. But besides the porn, which is fantastic, there's an amazing, twisty plot that will probably make you crazy. It's awesome. They're all basically assassins, and there's lots of killing/fighting and etc., but the mystery of it is what drives the story.
note: The Archer has been rewritten and published, so the author took the fic down. The in-between ficlets, The Safehouse Series, are still up, as is the sequel, The Flag, but you really need to have read The Archer for those to make sense.


Best Angst/Tearjerker
At Your Most Beautiful (series), by semaphore27
Keep a box of tissues nearby. The alternate ending never fails to make me cry, but if you don't want to go the deathfic route, skip that bit because it keeps going, with even more angst. It might seem like Dom is the most messed-up of the pair, but Billy really takes an emotional beating as well.


Best Mystery
My Brother's Keeper, by legomyarrow
The pairing is less of a focus of this fic, but it's Karl/Orlando, with a heavy dose of Eric Bana and Sean Bean, and cameos by several others. The way Amanda writes mysteries is amazing, and I really need to read her other fics, since I like these so much. They keep you guessing until the end, and even then, it's a shock to finally find out the answer. And the best part is, all of her fics (that I've read) can be read over and over and still manage to keep that mysterious quality.


Best Fluff
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Librarie, by v_angelique and rainbowcobweb
Yes, there's angst, but for the most part, it just makes you smile and feel really really good. Plus, it's hilarious, and the other characters besides Billy and Dom are truly awesome. You absolutely will fall in love with it, as well as their Modern Studies in Paederasty, which is also brilliant and deserves a mention.


Best Fic with Character Death
In This Place Called Heavenly, by v_angelique
AU, Dom/Elijah plus Elijah/Hannah (warning, incest!). Yes, it's technically one-shot, but it's really long, so I'm saying it counts. It's practically buzzing with electric intensity and teenage angst, but the setting (a small town in the middle of nowhere) really gives it a sort of otherworldly feel, and it's so poignant. It'll break your heart.

(and an Honorable Mention, 'cause seriously, you have to read this one as well.)

Officer and Gentleman, by kiltsandlollies
Incredibly violent and sad, but there's a really desperate sort of tone to it; the characters try to break out of their molds, but they just can't, and it's very heartbreaking to read. Another one for the tissue box.


Best RPG
Painted Whiskey, by giddy_london and ditchwitchbitch
It might take a while to get into the style, but once you do, this one's totally worth it. There's angst, fluff, romance, fights, making up... it's got it all. Um, even rape, which has its consequences. There's also character journals and future/AU verses (listed in the profile). This is really a complete universe, with real people that have real emotions and motivations, and you find yourself wrapped up in it before you realize it's happening.


Best Het Fic
Not Yet, by pippinmctaggart
Billy meets a fictional character named Grace, and things go from there. The characters in this one are so realistic, and so flawed, but they're in love, and it's beautifully done. Dom and Elijah excellent not-always-comic comic relief.


Best Romance
Beyond the Sea and Threadbare Gypsy Soul (WIP), by suede_scripture
The first one focuses more on Dom; the second, Billy. The thing about these that really gets me is the atmosphere. You can feel everything that's going on, and you can hear the songs Billy sings (there's even a soundtrack!). A New Zealand cruise ship provides Billy and Dom the perfect escape, and the sweet, romantic parts balance the heavy angst excellently.


Best Hurt/Comfort
You're A Map Of A Place Maybe Someday I'll Go, by pippinmctaggart
Billy's an emotional wreck and calls Dom for help, and he realizes some things along the way. There's not a great way to describe this without sounding trite, but trust me, this fic is so much more than that. It has depth that a lot of others don't quite reach.


Best Harry Potter-verse Slash
The Shoebox Project, by ladyjaida and dorkorific
It took me a while to give in and read this (on several recommendations), but I am so glad I finally did. Maurarders-era fic, really more about the four of them (plus Lily and Snape) than specifically about Remus and Sirius's relationship. Besides the amazing (and hilarious) writing, this one comes with drawings and photos and graphics that make it feel even more real.
note: Because some of the chapters are missing their graphics, they're also available in PDF format here.


Best Harry Potter-verse Het
The Price of Love, by RogueSugah (on checkmated.com)
I haven't read this one in a long time, so it's probably not as good as I'm remembering, but I think it was the first fanfic I ever became obsessed with, and I still think about it from time to time. This one's epic; 80 chapters, angsty, and brilliant. It focuses on Ron and Hermione starting in the summer after their 5th year, and it goes through 6th year.
note: I believe you need an account to access the Bedchamber, where all the NC-17 stories are filed. If you don't want to create an account but you still desperately want to read this fic, let me know and I'll hook you up.



A few other Honorable Mentions that don't have categories:

Tangled Histories (WIP), by v_angelique; Sexy, realistic vampires with amazingly deep relationships.

lotr_porn, by several people, but with shaenie as Billy and byblythe as Dom; Definitely worth checking out, especially the outtakes and the Dom/Ian thread.

Fun & Games: The Downward Spiral, by azewewish; Very very dark, bordering on non-con, a twisted Dom/Karl relationship.

Ume no Hama, by abundantlyqueer (now on insanejournal); A brilliant, breathtaking alternate universe: Ume no Hama, Ume no Hama ficlet, Ume no Hama II, Ume no Hama III: Hooseki

The Wanderer, by lord_alexander; Aurthurian!Monaboyd with awesome descriptions and historical references.





I'm going to cut myself off here before I try to fit in every fic I've ever read, as I'm obviously trying to do.